Automatic lubricator.



W. E. ROE.

AUTOMATIC LUBRICATOR. APPLICAIION FILED SEPI. I6. 1918.

Patented Mar. 4,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. E. ROE.

AUTOMATIC LUBRICATOR. APPLICATION FILED SEPI. is. 1913.

9 n H M d e m w a P 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Z I fife/77g awaka, in the county of St.

'tionary shafts, axles,

WALTER E. ROE, OF MISHAWAKA, mnmnanssronon TO DODGE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF MISHAWAKA, INDIANA, A CORPORATIONOF INDIANA.

Original application filed .Tanuary'18y1915, Serial No. 2,891. Divided and 16, 1918. Serial No. 254,274.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W'ALTER E. Ron, citizen of the United States, residing at Mish- Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Lubricators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic lubricators and it consists more especially of the features set forth in the annexed claims.

The purpose of my invention is to provide an automatic lubricator applicable to sta etc., or to those'that are rotated; that supplies various types of stationary collectors adapted to lubricate any type of adjacent bearing that uses oil lifters to coiiperate with the collectors; and that also uses centrifugal force for raising theoil to the collectors.

trate in the accompanying drawings such instances of adaptation as will disclose the basic features without limiting myself to the specific details shown.

Figure 1 is a side cator applied to a rotating shaft.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation partly in section-v of Fig. ,1.

Fig. 3'is' an end elevation similar to 2 showing the point of oil delivery to a col- ' lector having upper delivery openings.

' B adjacent a clutch: and at C i to Fig. 4 is a transverse section of a collector havinga bottom delivery opening.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a lubricator applied to a stationary axle.

Fig. 6 is an elevation partly in section of Fig. 5.

Fig..7'is a plan view of a detached collector, partly in section on line a: m of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is aside elevation of the arm portion of a detached collector, in section on y y of Fig. 6.

Fig, 9 is a diagrammatic representation of three distinct lubrication adaptations at A on a pulley placed adjacent a hanger: at adjoining a tight pulley on a line shaft.

In carrying my invention intopractice I may 'use the specific adaptations shown in the accompanying drawings or any practical alternatives. or equivalents thereof when the features involve the automatic ap- Specification of Letters Patent.

having a 7 With these and other ends in view Iillus-i elevation. of a lubri-. mg is limited in Fig. 9 A in which AUTOMATIC LUBRIGATOR.

Patented Mar. 4, 1919.

plication of lubricant the bearing surfaces in a positive self contained manner, whether the one or the other the bearing or the shaft or axle are the movable elements. It is immaterial how the lubricant is raised to a delivery position whether by fins, vanes or by centrifugal force.

ing oilers have been commonly used to elevate lubricant, as instanced in my copending application Serial #2891 of Jan. 18, 1915 of which this is a divisional, but in practice the oil carried in a rotating chamber will be distributed around the inner surface of the casing at certain speeds by centrifugal force so that a ringoiler resting I on the shaft could not elevate any oil because of no longer being in contact with it. The purpose of this 1mprovement is to break up such a layer of moving oil and deliver it to a relatively stationary collector hopper to gather the oil and deliver it to ad acent bearing surfaces.

this application filed September hen ring oilers are used with rotating shafts and non-rotating lubricating casings the previously mentioned difliculty does not manifest itself, but since this type of bearpractical use other provisions must be made to meet different con ditions. This has been done in thepresent exemplification wherein a shaft 1 supports a rotating lubricant container 2 which may be a part of a revolving wheel rotating on a stationary shaft between collars 11 or the shaft l-may revolve in an adjacent bearing case the container 2 would be secured to the shaft in any suitable manner, the oil grooves 26 directing oil to the bearing 50. In the former case these grooves supply oil directly to the bearing faces of hub 3 and shaft 1. The specific showing in Fig. 1 is not to be construed in any limited sense whatever as the application of movable oil raising means to relatively stationary collectors is claimed in its broadest sense regardless of the specific details or functions used to accomplish the raising of the lubricant for delivery to the collector and the direction therefrom by gravity to the point where lubrication is required.

In Fig. 9 different uses are diagrammatically shown at A the lubricant of a hearing wherein the container 2 may be co1nbined with a pulley that is driven by shaft Fig. 9 C

1. In Fig. 9 B it serves a clutch 51 and in it is used as a loose pulley in connection with a tight pulley 52.

The container 2 has a hub 3 which suports an enlarged bell sha ed casing that incloses oil chamber 4. A 'lling plug 5 is placed in the casing wherever desired. The casing 2 has a threaded opening into which a follower ring 6 passes to close the open end. This opening is made large enough to admit of the passage of collectors 17 and 18 in assembling. The ring 6 has spanner holes 7 around its rim by means of which it can readily be placed in the easing or when necessary removed therefrom. It is also supplied with an internal packing 8 nextto the shaft 1 and an external packing washer 9. When so assembled on the shaft a completelv inclosed lubricator is provided. As instanced in Fig. 1 two collars 11 prevent endwise movement on the shaft. These are held by set screws 12.

The oil lifting means may be paddles 16, Fig. 4, or a single fin Figs. 2 and 3 or centrifugal motion Fig. 6. In either case a stationary collector 17, 18 or 40 will receive the lifted oil as exemplified in Figs. 3 and 6 and deliver it to oil grooves 26, 47 or any others that may be provided. lVhen a single fin 13 is used its sides may be curved at 14 to more readily hold a lubricant regardless of the direction the container 2 may rotate. The lubricant level, when the parts are all at rest, is shown approximately at 15. The paddles 16 may be used with collector 17 and the fin 13 with collector 18. or either collector with the centrifugal lift of Fig. 6. In the latter case the radial collector walls 19 and 20 and the curving side walls 21 would terminate near the inner face of the lubricant chamber 4, similar to the finger '43 shown in Fig. 6.

The oil collectors, 17, 18 and 40 direct the oil by gravity to the point where it is required. Collectors 17 and 18 hang loosely on the shaft 1. Both have a weighted bottom portion 23 which serves to keep the hopper part inclosed by wal s 19, 20 and 21 uppermost. Collector 40 is held in its best collecting relation by a set screw 41 on stationary axle 29. The oil collected by 17 is delivered near-the upper face of the shaft 1 through openings 22 formed in one or both walls 21 as the exigencies 'of' practice may demand; that gathered by collector 18 passes along an inner groove 24 to a lower outlet 25 opening toward either or both faces. The collector 40 with its radial arm 43 Fig. 6 gathers the oil by means of its curved side edges 45 Fig. 7 formed on each side of the center web 44. Collecting grooves 46 carry the oil toward the surface of the shaft delivering it to grooves 47 or 26 as the case may be. The oil delivery of Fig.3 is shown at 27, that of Fig. 4 at 28, and that of Fig. 6

at 48. In the latter case anysurplus oil folwhere it is followed by a nut from the lifter to lows the hub of 40 approximately as at 49 to parting from the broad scope of the inven- 'tion.

When lubricating a stationary axle as 29, Figs. 5 and 6 another expedient may be used. In such an adaptation the oil collector 32 may be a part of a wheel hub 31 that has bearing against a shoulder 30. An inclosed oil chamber 34 is formed inside of the collector, to this a filling plug 36 affords access for lubricant. In order that the collector 40 may be assembled on the end of axle 29 39 a large threaded opening 33 similar to opening 10, Fig. 1 is provided. This is closed by a cap 37 having a hexagonal or other shaped nut on the outside at 42. A packing ring 38 is placed between the cap 37 and the casing 32. The relative dimensions of the opening 33, collector 40 and axle 29 are such as to permit of the assembling of 40 on the end of axle. 29 without interference even with the hub 3, full against the shoulder 30, or as shown when the collector is inserted through opening 33 before the outer end of axle 29 projects too far from hub 31 within the chamber 34.

It is a well known expedient to, under certain conditions, form oil grooves in the shaft instead of in a hub supported thereby but such an adaptation could only be construed as using a substantial equivalent of the disclosure made herein.

It will be observed that anautomatic lubricator is provided which is adaptable to the varying conditions neering without the use of complex intricate and expensive moving parts. A lubricator that can be even radically modified by de' signing engineers without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. A moving member having a bearing surface, a shaft therein, an oil lifter forming a part of and actuated'by said member, and an oil collector adapted to deliver lubricant the bearing surface.

2. An axle or shaft, a hub rotatable thereon, an means for automatically raising oil in the chamber through a rotation thereof, an oil collector relatively stationary with respect to the moving member, oil directing grooves formed in the bearing surfaces, suitable directmg means comprised in the collector adapted to divert oil therefrom to the points where lubrication is desired, and means for inclosing the collector within the chamber.

3. A movable member having a bearing surface, a support therefor, a lubricant oil chamber combined with said hub,

found in practical engilubricant through the rotation 1,295,926 I lilll holder combined with such member, means confined within the chamber for automatically raising the lubricant to a higher level through the movement of said member, and means for collecting the lubricant and diverting it to points where lubrication is required. v

4. A self lubricating bearing, comprising a shaft or axle,

lifting device adapted to'receive the liftedoil and deliver the same to-groovesafore saidn 7 5. In lubricating system,'a rotatable mem member cooperatingthereher, a stationary with, a lubricant chamber formed gin the moving member, a collector supported by cant raised through the-rotation 'ofjthe r0-..

tatable member, and

to where lubrication 6. In lubricating member combined with a lubricant container both adapted to rotate together, a relatively stationary member" placed within the con t'ainer, a support for both, means forflraising of the y container, and means for collecting such. raised is required.

lubricant by the stationary member for further dlstribution to the bearing parts on a rotatable member thereon avmg codperative relation thereto, oil dimeans' for directin the collected lubricant to points adjacent t ere-f systems, a rotatable 1 which the rotatable member depends for its support.

7. In lubricating systems, a rotatable member havin a lubricant container combined therewit a relatively stationary lubricant collecting member placed within the container, a support common to both the rotating and stationary members, and means for delivering lubricant to the stationary member through the movement of the rotatable member. I

' 8. In lubricating systems, a rotatable lubricant container, a relatively stationary lubricant collector wholly inclosed by the container, means for supportin both on sepa- .rate planes adjacent each ot er, and means adapted to supply lubricant through a movement of the container.

. 9. In lubricating systems, a bearing member, a rotatable lubricant container, a stationarycollecting member therein, and the stationary member inclosed within the" moving member adapted to'receivei'f lubri means adapted to continuously supply lubritothe collector cant to the collector through the movement ,of the container for delivery to the bearing member.

10. In automatic part, a rotatable lubricant container, and a relatively stationary collector suppliedwith lubricant by the latter for delivery to the former. i In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 7 inthe presence oftwo witnesses.

WALTER E. ROE.

Witnesses: Q

' SAGE W. Sonnmn, D. J. CAMrBELn lubricators, a bearing 

